This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Slash. While the character of Harry Potter is gay in this story, there will not be any intimate scenes – he's fourteen for most of this story and that's too young to be involved in an adult relationship. He doesn't seem to think much of the adults around him in any case.

This short chapter wraps up the future for many of the wizards and witches from the story.

Printed Word in letters and newspapers.

{Parsel tongue conversation}

Chapter 16: An Ending

A Gift for Ragnock – Three Years Later (1997)

Chief Ragnock of the Gringotts tribe of goblins was pleased when he received the request for a meeting with his favourite client – Lord Potter-Black-Snake had been absent for two months following the end of his seventh year at Hogwarts. The note he sent indicated that the young wizard would bring a gift – every goblin loved gifts.

When Harry was ushered into the office where he had often been before, he crossed to stand just in front of the chief's desk and bowed until his face almost touched the surface of the shiny wood, his breath fogging the wood for a moment.

"Chief Ragnock, I pray your blade drips with the blood of your enemies and your gold buries their cries under the rubble of their dreams," the young man said in greeting when he rose.

Pausing for a moment at the bloodiness of the greeting – very much like a victorious goblin, Ragnock returned the greeting. "Lord Potter-Black-Slytherin, I shall work tirelessly to sharpen our blades and protect our treasure from thieves and faithless fools."

"My betrothed and I just returned from a vacation to North Africa to see the hidden forests of the basilisks underneath the sands of the Sahara Desert," Harry explained. "It is a most amazing, magical world hidden from the muggles."

"The honeymoon before the wedding?" teased Ragnock and Harry blushed bright red.

"We wed at Yule and invite you and your mate to join with our families and friends for the ceremony."

Grinning broadly, Ragnock welcomed the invitation. Then Harry continued, "To celebrate my happiness Chief Ragnock, I bring a gift. The great painting that depicts the end of our common enemy, Albus Dumbledore."

Ragnock's heart began pounding in his chest as Harry called for Kreature. The house elf appeared balancing a small picture frame on his shoulder. The elf snapped his fingers to create a large stand that would hold the painting at the appropriate height for goblins to view the entire canvas and get close enough to see the details.

"Is this safe, Lord Potter-Black?" asked Ragnock.

Harry nodded. "The headmaster is a footnote in history already. In a few years, you can display this painting in the lobby and none of the wizards will give it a moment's notice."

Ragnock stepped back as Harry removed the shrinking charm on the painting until it filled half of the wall in the goblin's office. There was the former headmaster sitting on his usual throne but before a simple wooden table with a mug in one hand and the bright red Philosopher's Stone in the other. On the table were several books and scattered papers.

The disappearance of Albus Dumbledore disappointed his enemies who wanted him to face judgement and his allies who found they had to think for themselves again. Gringotts goblins had danced for a month with joy at the manipulative wizard's demise and Ragnock led dances at lunch and dinner for a full week.

Now today, the portrait prison stood before him and the goblin chieftain stared for a full minute before he attempted to thank the young wizard, "Lord Potter-Black, I cannot find the proper words..."

Harry tilted his head and asked, "What would you say about the expression on his face?"

"Hopelessness and despair," Ragnock said instantly. "He realizes he cannot command the Philosopher's Stone. There is no magic to extend his worthless and wasted life."

"And the books around him?"

"I can't read... They are not in any language I recognize..."

"Neither could he. He could not read parseltongue," Harry replied.

"They were the sacrifice required by the ritual?" asked Ragnock.

"Some might speculate that there was a sacrifice of ancient writings in parseltongue to capture the evil Lord of Light in a soul prison," Harry hinted. "But I would never say that to anyone."

"How can I thank you, Lord Potter-Black?" Ragnock asked. "This trophy will lift Gringotts above all other goblin tribes in Europe and Asia. Even the dwarves must respect Gringotts now."

Harry grinned. "I remember you wanted Dumbledore's beard to hang in your office as a trophy, Chief Ragnock. This portrait is a gift from the houses of Potter, Black and Slytherin to the chief of the Gringotts tribe for helping the boy who came to you more than four years ago."

Waving at the painting, Harry said, "Allow me to present you the Old Goat as a trophy for your wall."

Patiently, Ragnock allowed his senior managers and counsellors to take tea in his office that afternoon; they all clamoured to view the portrait, and each and every goblin danced in the hallways after viewing the portrait. As word spread through Gringotts, the different department heads, clerks and dragon handlers appeared at his office door; finally, the chief had the painting moved to the goblin dining hall for a week – he kept it under heavy guard always and there were long lines to view the painting. An intrepid goblin mage conjured a few rows of rising seats with extra lighting where goblin scholars could come to sit for hours to study the composition of the painting, catalogue all the contents and write their opinions.

Word of the great trophy spread among all the magical banks in Europe and then across the globe. There was a great scandal among the goblins when a contingent of dwarves from Germany appeared from the floo with a request to view the great painting. They stayed for almost ten hours and studied the trophy before politely thanking the goblin chieftain for the opportunity and admitting aloud that Gringotts was a goblin tribe to be respected by all creatures in the banking world.

The painting remained a favourite war trophy of the Gringotts Tribe for several centuries.

Ten Years Later (2007)

On the thirteenth anniversary of the disastrous First Task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the disappearance of Albus Dumbledore, the goblins displayed the portrait of the former headmaster in the lobby of Gringotts Bank for the wizarding public to see. The painting created a minor stir among wizards in some circles but drew scant attention from the daily publications. Freelance reporter Luna Lovegood-Weasley published a story in the Daily Prophet with a photo of the previously unknown painting of Albus Dumbledore. Married to George Weasley for almost eight years, Luna was expecting her second child and now only wrote when she found her muse.

'The non-magical portrait depicts some moment of realization or despair on the part of the headmaster – perhaps after he fled from Hogwarts ahead of Aurors sent to arrest him. The appearance of the Philosopher's Stone and the many parseltongue texts around him will create speculation among my readers. Was Dumbledore a secret 'parseltongue' and did he use parsel magics to escape and hide? Does he have the true Philosopher's Stone and drink the elixir of life today?

I remind everyone that this is an artist's imagining; much like the portrait of the former Minister for Magic and his supposed lover who disappeared years ago. They sit on golden thrones in a vault surrounded by a mountain of gold – all the fanciful imaginings of the artist.'

Very few people read Luna's article with great interest and fewer studied the photograph of the painting for any length of time. The wizards and witches of Magical Britain were more interested in the results of the International Quidditch Match where seeker Ginny Weasley caught the snitch in the championship match against the Bulgarians. This was the third time that she led the British team to the title match.

The Burrow was relatively quiet–Ron was anxious to begin his fourth year at Hogwarts where he would play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for the second year–his famous sister trained him to be a versatile and valuable player. Each year his siblings supported him with new robes and books with the understanding that his studies and grades came first. While he was not top of his class, his grades exceeded expectations, and Ron planned a career in Quidditch like his sister and then he would work for Fred and George in their chain of magic shops.

Eldest brother Bill visited occasionally when he was in Britain; his work with Gringotts took him across the world working in ancient tombs as a curse-breaker. He always had interesting stories to tell his youngest brother.

Arthur sat reading his copy of the Daily Prophet, immune to Molly's complaints that none of her grandchildren ever came to visit. Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George all married against her wishes and they were fathers many times over but they seldom brought their families to visit. Ginny refused to consider the idea of marriage as long as her career as a champion seeker continued.

When Bill got together with his brothers, he watched their families and sometimes he wondered how different his life would have been if he made a different choice all those years past. But then he was called upon to be the uncle of the twelve Weasley nieces and nephews, and forgot his regrets.

At Malfoy Manor, Minister of Magic, Lucius Malfoy and his family awaited the birth of Draco and Daphne's second child – a boy this time.

Narcissa and Lucius had welcomed three more children of their own, two girls and one boy, each with varying metamorphic powers. Draco and Daphne's daughter, now three, was proving to be equal to her aunts and uncle in her ability to change her hair, colour, and size.

Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbot married shortly after graduation from Hogwarts and they were often away from Britain combing the world for plants with new magical properties. They travelled with a circus of house elves to care for their three children. Lady Longbottom despaired of them ever settling in one place for long so she could visit her great-grandchildren.

At Potter House, a beautifully remodelled Potter Manor, a harried politician called for help. "Harry, where are the papers for the bill to fund the research for the Avalon gates?"

Next door in the nursery, Harry played with their youngest son who was just beginning to walk, and through the open door, he replied, "They are in the case on your desk beside our bed! You put them there last night."

When his husband didn't respond, Lily's portrait turned her attention from her older grandsons, "Go make certain Marcus has his papers. The elves and I will watch your herd of boys until you return."

"It be's time for Heir William Potters and Heir Rigel Blacks to have their morning snack," announced Dobby Jr. as he popped into the nursery, followed by his mother.

"DJ, it be's your turns to change Heir Marcus Slytherin's nappy," Winky ordered as she set a tray with two sippy cups and food on a low table. The two eldest boys tumbled toward the house elf for hugs and kisses before they drank apple juice, and gobbled up plain biscuits and slices of peaches. In a corner, DJ distracted the youngest heir with floating teddy bears while the nappy was changed. The baby would get a bottle and everyone celebrated the little one's new skill – he could hold the bottle now.

"Severus is the only person who calls them a 'herd'," Harry teased his mother before glancing at his children with great happiness. Winky had been prophetic when she said Harry's children would be 'powerful as Merlin'. On the day that each of their sons were born, the house elves across all Britain danced on the ceilings of manors, the ministry, Gringotts and the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Just last year Lily Potter discovered the power of William, her eldest grandson, when he brought his grandmother 'out' of the portrait. He was sick with a fever and wanted his grandmother to hold him so his magic 'pulled' her form from the portrait she spent the next hour holding him. Harry spent the whole time holding his mother as she rocked her fussy grandson before she felt the pull of the portrait and returned to Severus' arms.

Now Heir Potter and Heir Black called both 'Gran' and 'Pop' from their picture frames to attend birthday parties in summer or to build snowmen in winter. Their fathers planned to hire special tutors for lessons before Hogwarts and worked diligently with Headmistress McGonagall to create a suitable curriculum and hire additional professors that would keep their sons interested in learning.

Behind his mother's animated image, Harry noticed Severus sitting in his usual chair, reading the Daily Prophet and drinking tea while he waited for Lily to complete her morning time with her grandchildren. The house elves in Potter Manor were powerful enough now to send the daily newspaper, food, clothing, and books into the portraits for Lady Lily and her husband to enjoy. The two men exchanged polite nods–the happiness of Lady Lily Evans was tied up in Severus Snape, Harry Potter-Black-Slytherin and the three little boys who filled the sunny nursery with laughter and questions. There was nothing more important to the potions master than her happiness in their world of portrait frames.

Across the hallway, Harry found the door to their bedroom open and Marcus Potter-Black-Slytherin reviewing the bill he planned to introduce in the Wizegamot. With Lucius as Minister for Magic, Marcus Flint took up the seats for Slytherin and Potter after marrying Harry and becoming Consort Potter-Black-Slytherin, leaving Draco to vote the Black and Malfoy seats.

Today, Marcus would speak of the need to escape this world before the muggles destroyed it. The Lords and Ladies would vote to fund the research for the Avalon Gate – a portal to the parallel world where magical folk could emigrate to escape the muggles.

"Morning," Harry said as he reached up to kiss his husband's cheek. "Did you find the papers exactly where you left them last night?"

Marcus grinned, "No, Kreature found them for me." He placed the papers back into the case and turned to take his handsome husband into his arms for a proper kiss.

"Now, tell me about what you have planned for your day?"